Wool-washing machine



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WOOL WASHING MAGHINE. No. 521,817. Patented June 26, 1894.

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D H RICE WOOL WASHING MACHINE. v

Patented June 26, 1894.

No. 521,817. I

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D. H. RICE. WOOL WASHING'MAGHINE.

No. 521,817. Patented June 26, 1894.

E NA'noNAl. uruoemwnmc COMPANY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID HALL RICE, 0F BROOKLINE, ASSIGNOR TO 0. G. SARGENTS SONS,

' OF GRANITEVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

" WOOL-WASHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 521,817, dated J une 26, 1894.

Application filed April 20.1892.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, DAVID HALL RIoE, of Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fiber-WashingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

My improvement relates to machines for washing wool and other similar fibers, and it consists in a new'and useful construction and combination of the several parts thereof, substantially as hereinafter described.

In the drawingsz-Figure 1 is a top plan view of a wool-washing'machineprovided with my improvements. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal vertical section thereof on the dotted line w-ac of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section-thereof on the dotted line z-z of Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively face' and edge views of a chain and sprocket gear construction enlarged from Fig. 2.

My invention relates especially to the mode of operating the rake or carrier, to have it convey the fiber in a more even and direct manner through the bowland to the squeeze rolls. I

A is the bowl of the machine, having a plug or stopper, a, in its bottom for drawing off the washing fluid, and having the perforated false bottom, a extending through a portion of the bowl horizontally and thence upward, forming an inclined carrier bed with'a pitch or incline, a at the end leading to the squeeze rolls B, B The rake or harrow 1 carries the fiber through the bowl and partly up the carrier bed, when it istaken by the carrier, 2, and the intermediate carrier, 3, and carried forward and delivered to' the squeeze rolls. The intermediate carrier, 3, is pivoted to the rake, 1, by the pivot, 4, and to the carr1er2 by the pivot, 5, so as to form a continuous articulated carrier which,by its movement, can conform quite closely, in progressing forward through the bowl, to the false bottom, a both over its horizontal and. its inclined portion, and the chief object'of my invention is to provide such a means of propelling the carrier and suspending it that it shall in its forward movement thus conform to the lines of the false bottom, a and give the greatestpossi- Serial No. 429,958. (Nomodeh) ble direct movement forward to the fiber at each reciprocation of the carrier.

- Onthe upper side of the carrier, 1, are firmly attached the posts, 6, 7, which at their upper ends are connected by the pivots, 8, 9, to the endless chains, 10, 11, which pass around the sprocket wheels, 12, 13, 14, 15. The sprocket wheels, 12 and 14, are mounted upon horizontal studs projecting from the pipe boxes, 16, 18, while the sprocket Wheels 13, 15, are mounted upon shafts, 20, 21, which pass through the pipe boxes 17 and 19, and carry pulleys on their outer ends preferably driven by chains, for revolving the sprocket wheels. It will be'observed that the sprocket wheels, 13, 15, being driven will themselves drive the sprocket wheels, 12, 14, by the same chains,

10, 11, which carry the harrow, 1, and that by the revolution of these sprocket wheelsand it to conform to the carrier bed portion of the.

bottom, 0, ,1 suspend it by links, 22, 23, to the endless chains, 24, 25; these links being pivoted, however, to the carrier, 2, at their lower ends as well as to the chains at their upper ends, in order to allow for the necessary yielding to enable the carrier. to conform to the movement of the rake 1. The chain 24 passes around the sprocket wheels, 26, 27, which are suspended in position by the pipe boxes 28, 29. These pipe boxes are made shorter than the adjacent ones, 18, 19, in order to allow the sprocket wheel, 26,to lap by the sprocket wheel, 15, so that the upper pivot of the link, 22, and the link may pass around behind the wheel, 15, without interfering with it, and the chain, 24, with its sprocket wheels is inclined upward so that its parallel portions 'shall also be parallel with the inclined part of the bottom, a of .the bowl. The sprocket wheel26 is supported it to be driven as hereinafter described. The 1 chain, 25, is supported and carried by the sprocket wheels, 30, 31, which are supported by the pipe boxes, 32, 83; thesprocket wheel 30 revolving on a stud projecting from the pipe box, 32, and the sprocket wheel 31 revolving on the shaft, 34, which passes through the pipe box, 33, and projects outside of the frame for the purpose of driving the same as hereinafter described.

In order to relieve the chains and sprocket wheels from a large portion of the strain of carrying the rake, 1, and carriers 2 and 3, l have adopted an improvement upon the mechanism shown in the British patent granted to Holden and Holden September 6, 1876, No. 3,509, as follows: In the face of the posts 6, 7, I affix two studs 35, 36, projecting outward, and to these I attach cords, 37, 38, which pass over pulleys, 39,40, which are mounted on the rods, 41, 42 3 the latter being supported by the framework, F, F, of the machine at each end. To the other ends of these cords I attach weights, 43, 44, which are so constructed as to counterbalance the weight of the harrow, 1, or perhaps a trifle more. On. top of the carrier, 2, I attach the eye, 45, and to this attach the cord, 46, which passes Over the pulley, 47, similarly sustained on the rod, 48, and has the weight, 49, attached to the other end of the cord and arranged to counterbalance the weight of the carrier, 2. By this arrangement the strain of lifting the carrier u pward is largely taken from the chain and sprocket wheels, and the carrier is suspended and always counterbalanced evenly and equally by the weights, in whatever position it may be, which is not the case where such weights are carried on the ends of levers, or other similar connections, to counterbalance the carrier.

The various chains and sprocket wheels for carrying the rake are driven as follows: Upon the shaft, 12, of the upper squeeze roll, B,is attached at one end the pulley, 50, and at the other end the pulleys, 51, 52. The pulley 52 is to be driven from any suitable countershaft. The pulley 50 is belted to the pulley, 53, on the end of the shaft, 34. The pulley 51 is bolted to the pulley, 54, on the shaft27. Another pulley, 55, on this same shaft is belted to pulley, 56, on shaft 21. Another pulley, 57, on the same shaft is belted to pulley, 58, on shaft 20. These beltings are preferably in the form of chains and sprocket gears, to keep the parts working accurately in unison.

The double articulation of the harrow, 1, carrier, 2, and intermediate carrier, 3, enables the harrow 1 to traverse around the larger sprocket wheels without materially interfering with the operation of the carrier, 2, which traverses around the smaller sprocket wheels.

It will be observed that the driving pulleys 50 and 53, 51 and 54, and 55, 56, 57, and 58, are made in proportion to the size of the sprocket wheels which they drive; that is to say, as the chain which passes around the sprocket wheels, 14,15, although it carries the harrow, 1, the same horizontal distance as the chain which passes around the sprocket wheels, 26, 27, also lifts the harrow higher than the carrier, 2, is lifted, the chain, 11, must therefore be longer than the chain 24, hence the pulleys 55, 56, which drive the chain, 11, must be as much larger as that chain is longer, in order that the harrow, 1, may be brought around to the point where it is shown in Fig. 2 at the same instant of time that the carrier, 2, is brought around to the position allel to the line of forward movement desired for the harrow through the bowl, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the harrow 1, the supportingchainslO,11,theirsupporting sp rocket wheels arranged to drive the harrow through the bowl reciprocally, and one or more counterbalancing Weights attached to the harrow by means of cords passing over pulleys, and arranged to relieve the chains and sprocket wheels from the weight of the harrow, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the harrow 1, supported upon chains and sprocket wheels, with the carrier, 2, linked thereto, and also supported upon chains and sprocket wheels, by swinging links, arranged to convey the wool up the carrier bed as the harrow moves through the bowl, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a wool-washing machine, of a carrier or harrow formed of two portions linked together, one portion carried by chains and sprocket gears arranged at one angle, and the other portion carried by chains and sprocket gears arranged at another angle to the surface of the fluid in the bowl, substantially as described.

5. The combination, in a fiber-washing machine, of three harrows or carriers, 1, 2, 3, articulated or linked together, and driving mechanism arranged to propel one of these carriers forward at one angle or inclination to the surface of the washing fluid in the bowl, and the others at a different forward inclination or angle to said fluid surface, simultaneously, substantially as described.

6. The combination, in a fiber-washing machine, of three harrows or carriers, 1, 2, 3, articulated or linked together, driving mechanism arranged to propel one of these carriers IIO -forward atone angle or inclination tothe surface of the washing fluid in the bowl, and the others ata different forward inclination or angle to said fluid surface, simultaneously, and connterbalancing mechanism attached to said barrows or carriers and arranged to suspend the same during their movements,

' substantially as described. l

7. The combination, in a fiber-washing machine, of two harrows or carriers, one driven by chains and sprocket gears 0f one length or diameter, and the other driven by chains and sprocket gears of a; difierent length and diameter, and driving pulleys connected therewith arranged to cause said harrows tov perform their reciprocal movements respect- DAVID HALL RICE.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM P. BLAKE, N. P. OCKINGTON. 

